At BarBend, we love seeing videos of older athletes pushing, pulling, and pressing big weight. In a sport that’s extremely physically demanding, longevity is one of the biggest concerns for many athletes both new and old to powerlifting.

At a Crunch Gym based in Northern New Jersey reigns a 65 year old strength athlete named Atilio Casanova. In the strength social media world, Casanova’s lifting videos routinely make the rounds among some of the bigger lifting pages (and that includes ours).

Yesterday, Casanova shared one of his most impressive deadlift sets to date, and shows once again that age is just a number. In the set below, Casanova smokes a set of 206kg (455 lbs) for an easy six beltless reps.

In his video’s description Casanova writes, “Here’s my deadlift of 455×6 I did last week. I wanted to get one more good session before I gave my body some much needed rest from the deadlifts. Bodyweight 180, 65 years young.”

There’s no doubt that this set is crazy impressive, but our favorite part of the video are the looks Casanova is getting in the background. Watch the video around 10-second mark when the younger lifters jaws metaphorically drop.

When it comes to lifting longevity, there tends to be two major factors at play and these include: Consistency & Honesty. For example, an athlete always needs to be honest with their body and program to stay healthy and avoid pushing to the point of injury, then they must remain consistent with their honest approach to the gym.

If one thing’s for certain, it’s that Casanova understands that consistency is the key to a long-lasting gym career. Check out the video below from April 20th that highlights a dumbbell bench press with 115 lb dumbbells and six reps.

Casanova writes in his video’s description, “It’s not easy being consistent but I’m doing my best to be as strong as I was yesterday. My goal is keep going to 70 then 80 years old. Dumbbell Press 115×6”

Judging from his consistent heavy training videos and all things equal, Casanova is doing something right in the gym. Hopefully he continues to push past the limits our society normally sets for certain ages in the gym.

Jake holds a Master's in Sports Science and a Bachelor's in Exercise Science. Currently, Jake serves as the Fitness and Training Editor at BarBend. He's a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and has spoken at state conferences on the topics of writing in the fitness industry and building a brand. As of right now, Jake has published over 1,200 articles related to strength athletes and sports. Articles about powerlifting concepts, advanced strength & conditioning methods, and topics that sit atop a strong science foundation are Jake's bread-and-butter. On top of his personal writing, Jake edits and plans content for 15 writers and strength coaches who come from every strength sport. Prior to BarBend, Jake worked for two years as a strength and conditioning coach for hockey and lacrosse players, and a personal trainer the three years before that, and most recently he was the content writer at The Vitamin Shoppe's corporate office. Jake competes in powerlifting in the 181 lb weight class, and considers himself a professional knee rehabber after tearing his quad squatting in 2017. On the side of writing full time, Jake works as a part-time strength coach and works with clients through his personal business Concrete Athletics in New York City.

Follow Us

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting. BarBend is not affiliated with or endorsed by CrossFit, Inc. or NPGL. Contact us: [email protected]